A Cocoa Springs Christmas: A Clean Rom-Com - Book 1

by Susan Mellon

A Cocoa Springs Christmas

When my fiancé broke off our engagement after Thanksgiving dinner, I vowed to skip Christmas this year and hibernate until January. I also swore off men, too. Yep, who needs them?

But because of one pesky little nuisance, such as running my own business as a personal driver, I’d have to leave hibernating to the bears.

With a never-ending supply of cocoa and cookies via my twin sister’s bakery, I just might survive until the new year.

Then my sister introduced me to a new client named Topper Ford.

Between Topper and a case of the flu, Christmas in Cocoa Springs will never be the same again.

Genres: Christmas, Novella, Contemporary, Romance

199 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2024

About the author

Hi . . .

I write romance that's always clean & lighthearted with a touch of faith and a sprinkle of humor.

Although I live in Pittsburgh with my husband, Vermont has captured a piece of my heart. When I'm not writing, I enjoy reading, watching movies, nurturing my new plant obsession, and dreaming about my next visit to Vermont.

I also believe life is too short to eat anything other than premium chocolate and I'm never too far away from my cup of coffee.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun Christmas story, with a small town feel. I felt for Holly as she entered the Christmas season with a broken heart and plans to stay away from both men and any Christmas festivities. She had no idea that she would soon be meeting the man who would become her true love. Topper had to wade through Holly's humbug attitude for awhile, but his persistence paid off!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Jacqueline Johnston Cotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made my heart happy. The story has the best blend of humor, sweet, friendship and romance. Loved the twin sisters and all those cookies! Holly has a broken heart and Topper wants to heal it. They go from friends to more and it makes for an entertaining and adorable feel good read. It's cozy Christmas perfection.

[Lissa Ruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Topper & Holly's grinchy, sweet , caring, hopeful, loving happily ever after!!

[Riley 02 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly and Topper… just swoony

This a sweet story. I loved it. Holly was dumped after Thanksgiving dinner and was done with men and Christmas (because their wedding would’ve been in Christmas Eve of next year). She was depressed. Even though she kept working as a personal driver. I loved how she created beautiful friendships with his clients.
And then in comes Topper. He falls for her from the first moment he saw her, even with her haggard appearance. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. And he set in a way to get to know her. What I couldn’t understand was his hot and cold treatment with Holly. If he was into her so much, why did he recoil from Holly after the gingerbread person decoration event at Faith’s store? It says they passed the next week from the event basically with minimal interaction. Why? Obviously, after the sicknesses events, the story turned for the better but too fast!! I get it that he wanted to take care of her in her sickness. I can’t believe he kissed her after her vomit episode. Btw, who doesn’t wash their mouth and hands after vomiting? Come on!! That was gross, not romantic. Romantic was the holding her hair back while she did vomit and carrying her back to the couch. Not their first kiss. And after that they basically were a couple. No, I want to be your boyfriend. Although, his phrase is cute and special: “ keep me and love me”. It’s close. And when their love is gonna start… BAM… epilogue.. the end. I wanted more. It was a beautiful friendship and budding romance.

There’s a detail that I think should be checked out. If Holly and Faith are not identical, I think the term is fraternal twins not paternal as is mentioned. Fraternal or identical twins are the correct terms. At least what I have learned in the years.

The relationship between sisters is so beautiful. They are so close. There are so many cookies!! ;D

I loved the story but wanted more.


SAFE
virgin/celibate/manwhore: clean story - doesn’t mention any previous relationships of his (he hasn’t brought anyone to his office parties in 3 years working there) and she was dumped by her fiancé- the story sounds as if they would wait for marriage to consummate = clean
age gap: not much
ow/om: nope
separation/breakups: nope
cheating/sharing: nope
possible triggers: nope
HEA

[Valri Western · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet, fun story this is! I enjoyed it very much! When Holly gets dumped by her fiancé at Thanksgiving, she is determined to ignore all things Christmas until after the season and all men! She doesn't count on meeting Topper Ford through her twin sister which tests this resolve! Holly is a personal driver, and Topper needs a ride to work every day. I enjoyed Topper's character and his enjoyment of the Christmas season. I also liked Holly's sister, Faith, who ran a cookie bakery. I was ready to frequent her store daily with all the tempting cookies she baked! The bond between the twin sisters was a joy to read. Holly's character was great too. She had really been hurt by the end of her engagement and felt that hurt deeply. The holidays are a hard time to lose a relationship. The author did a great job of showing how other people brought helped Holly get through this difficult time. I loved the descriptions of the weather too! Fun story!

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a Clean Christmas Romance book. This book is about Topper and Holly. Holly gets dumped by her ex fiancé on Thanksgiving. She then decides to boycott Christmas and turns into a Scrooge. Things change when she meets Topper at her sister’s bakery. One ride into work thanks to Holly turns into an everyday thing. Can Topper help Holly get into the Christmas spirit again? Can he help her move on from her heartbreak. Mix in the flu and how amazing they were to each other. This book was so cute. This book is also rom-com so of course it had some funny moments in it. This book put me in even more of a Christmas mood than before. I will be rereading this book. If you love Christmas books where the girl is the Scrooge instead of the guy with funny moments then this is the book for you.

[Bookswithaudreyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute and fun Christmas read! You’ll definitely want to stock up on some hot chocolate and cookies while reading this book. I know that I need to!

Holly is not celebrating Christmas this year and has swore off men for a long time after her fiancé breaks off their engagement right after thanksgiving dinner. Holly has her own business as a personal driver and while she was in her twin sister’s bakery she meets Topper.

Topper doesn’t drive and usually takes public transportation but when he meets Holly and learns that she’s a personal driver, he decides that’ll be much easier than the bus. The first thing he notices is she’s a Christmas grinch and he has to figure out why.

[MacKenzie Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two are the absolute cutest! I can’t get over how caring they are for one another. Holly and Topper may not have insta live but they build a trust after seeing each other everyday and it builds into something so sweet. I also love Holly’s relationship with her sister and how with a few nudges Holly begins to open her heart and mind again to the possibilities a new relationship could have.
This is a dual pov, clean romance.

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story, but it felt rushed and lacked the emotional connection for me.

Clean, closed door, kisses only

[Dina Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas romcom! After experiencing a heartbreak, Holly has no desire to celebrate Christmas. However, as she takes on the role of Topper’s personal driver, their chemistry and connection start to blossom. Some things I loved about this story include the bond between twin sisters, the way Holly and Topper support each other, and their undeniable electric attraction.

[Larissa (That Baker That Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:
Holly is trying to recover from a recent breakup and move on with her life in a small town. Until one cheerful client and change the scenery.

𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬:
✨Strangers to Friends to More
✨Sworn off love and Christmas
✨Sunshine/Sunshine
✨Small town
✨Takes care of each other
✨Lots of Cookies

🌶️𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥:
Kissing Only
Attraction/Tension:🔥

My Opinion:
This one is so cute and sweet! Very fun narrative, very light and focused on the character growth, but at the same is a hallmark Christmas romance. I really enjoyed this one, the characters are very likeable, and the writing is fun. If you want to just relax with a light and sweet romance this winter, this one is for you.

TW:Relationship Break-Up (Recent).

*𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.*

[Koren | the_blue_eyed_bluestocking · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this sweet Christmas romance!

This is a grumpy-sunshine strangers-to-friends -to-more story that takes place after Holly's fiancé ends their engagement, leaving her alone and sad at the holidays. Holly decides to cancel Christmas since it only reminds her of the Christmas Eve wedding she will never have. My heart broke for her!

But her twin sister feels that not all is lost and encourages her to pick up a handsome new client. Holly reluctantly agrees and spends the next several weeks driving chocolate-eyed Topper to work while he slowly breaks through her determined Christmas-scrooge wall. Could it be possible for Holly to find love again at Christmas?

I think what I really loved about this story was the authentic quality of the interactions of the main characters. There is no over-the-top meeting, Topper recognizes Holly's grouchiness for what it is, and the lead up to a relationship feels so natural. Normally, I'm chomping at the bit for the relationship to change, but I loved the pace, and I could just enjoy how it was coming to be because it was so sweet. My absolute favorite scenes are when they both have the flu - if you want to know if someone really cares, what happens when you are at your worst? I think this is a light bulb moment for Holly to honestly allow Topper in. I also love that Topper makes Holly's ultimate dream come true, and it was such a sweet ending to a sweet Christmas story.

I received a complimentary copy of the author's story to read and review. All thoughts contained here are my own.

[Debbie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet holiday romance! And the cookies! Yum, I was getting so hungry when I was reading this book because they all sound delicious! I love that Holly and Topper bonded over their shared love of cookies. Holly just got dumped by her fiancé at Thanksgiving and is swearing off Christmas this year. She meets Topper who is immediately intrigued by her but her walls are up. It was so sweet all of the things that he did to win her over. I’m so excited to read the next book and see what happens!

[Tara Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Ms Mellon. I enjoyed reading A Coco Springs Christmas. A sweet, funny, entertaining, romantic, small town story. Holly's heart has been broken. She promised herself she wouldn't have another man, but when she meets Topper she changes her mind. A must read!! I was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

[Caitlin Nikolai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read. A female driver (like Uber, but self-employed... How does she make enough to live??) and a man who doesn't drive.

She's brokenhearted and boycotting Christmas; he loves Christmas and can't imagine why someone who once enjoyed Christmas wouldn't celebrate it.

The characters are unique and the story is lighthearted and fun.

[Vanessa Shoemaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short cute Christmas read!

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but quick

[September Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mini Review of Cocoa Springs Christmas by Susan Mellon

She skipping Christmas. He loves Christmas. They both have a love of cookies. When they meet Topper is intrigued by Holly. He’s also more curious by the fact she seems to have a hate for christmas. Can Topper, the flu, & their shared love of cookies change Holly’s mind about christmas? This was a quick romance and it was a delightful read. I found that it made me laugh and smile and I wanted to just keep reading. From cookie decorating contest, office parties, and several surprises could these two find love along the way. Grab a copy and find out,